A daily serial entered its second year. Three units shot on three floors, a writers' room of four fed scripts, and two edit rooms turned around footage by midnight. The line producer noticed that the best lighting hands were drifting to one unit. Asked why, they said that unit paid five minutes of overtime for every ten the other did not. Nobody had written any of this down.
A television production house runs on a telecast date that does not move. The channel expects an episode every evening. That rhythm shapes every HR choice. This post lists what to set up first, in order, for the television production houses in our hub, and why.
First, a rate rule that crosses units
Daily-wage crew compare. A spot boy on Floor 1 and a spot boy on Floor 2 know each other's rates by lunch. Different directors and production managers agree different amounts, and the difference creates quiet resentment. Draw up a rate band by role: spot boy, lighting hand, camera assistant, dresser, make-up assistant. Set how extra hours, night calls and Sundays are treated. Publish it to unit managers. Review the bands against the market from time to time, using the compensation benchmarking approach.
Second, the writers' room
A small writing team feeds the whole show. If one dialogue writer falls ill, scripts slip, shooting units wait and the edit room idles. Keep a trained backup writer on call, and ask the head writer to maintain a story bible and a scene tracker that a newcomer can read in a day. Agree how scripts are delivered, how revisions are numbered and who signs off. Treat the writers as the show's critical path, because they are.
Third, units, rotation and rest
- Fixed unit teams. Keep core crews together so a unit builds its own rhythm.
- Planned rotation. When crew move between units, do it on a published schedule, not by the line producer's mood.
- A weekly rest day. Six-day weeks run for years in some serials. Make one day truly off, and rotate Sundays fairly.
- Pack-up rules. Agree a latest wrap time and a rule for transport home after late shoots.
The second year of a run is when fatigue, quarrels and absences rise. The roster is the first lever, and the cheapest.
Fourth, clear roles on the production floor
Production managers, coordinators, floor managers and assistant directors often overlap. Write a short role note for each: what they decide, what they sign and whom they report to. The role design approach used in this hub gives a quick format. Include the person who handles daily payment, since that role takes the most queries.
- 1
Publish the rate band
One page per role, shared with unit managers. Update on a date, not on request.
- 2
Name the writer backup
Introduce the backup to the head writer and the line producer.
- 3
Fix the rotation
Draw a four-week grid of who works which unit and which day off.
- 4
Write the role notes
One paragraph each for production manager, coordinator, floor manager and AD.
- 5
Start the wrap conversation
Hold a short chat with any crew who leave a unit, and record what they say.
The edit room and the telecast chain
Editors, dubbing artists, sound mixers and graphic operators work to a clock that begins when the unit wraps. A late wrap on the floor eats the edit room's night. Agree a hand-over time between floor and edit, and write down who calls whom if rushes will be late. Keep a rota for the night edit, so the same two editors are not always on it. Offer a morning start after a late delivery. Small courtesies like these decide whether editors stay for a third year.
- Rushes hand-over time fixed and written on the call sheet.
- Night edit rota published a fortnight ahead.
- Cab or transport for editors who leave after midnight.
- A named senior who approves the cut so editors do not wait for five opinions.
Keeping a long run staffed
Serials lose people slowly. A camera operator moves to a film, a makeup artist finds a better slot on a rival's show, an editor tires of midnight deliveries. Start a simple retention review: quarterly chats with unit heads and a list of key people with a note on what keeps them. Pay on time, publish the rota in advance and say thank you in front of the unit.
What to do this month
Pick the rate band and the writer backup. They cost the least and prevent the biggest hits. Then fix the rotation. Our hub for film and television production lists more of the pressures. If you want help building the starter set, send us your requirements.
